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What are proteins and what do they do?Proteins are large, complex molecules that play many critical roles in the body. They do most of the work in cells and are required for the structure, function, and regulation of the body’s tissues and organs. Proteins are made up of hundreds or thousands of smaller units called amino acids, which are attached to one another in long chains. There are 20 different types of amino acids that can be combined to make a protein. The sequence of amino acids determines each protein’s unique 3-dimensional structure and its specific function. Proteins can be described according to their large range of functions in the body, listed in alphabetical order:
For more information about proteins and their functions:Information about proteins and what they do is available from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences publication Genetic Additional discussion of the role of proteins can be found in the NCBI Science Next Topic: How does a gene make a protein? Previous Topic: How do geneticists indicate the location of a gene? |